Scooping another spoonful of the porridge, he raised it to her mouth. Amara obediently opened her mouth. Her twinkling eyes looked at him once again.
“CanI…can I ask you for something?” Kaelith put the spoon down and turned his attention towards her. Pinching her chin between his finger and thumb, he tilted her chin back and placeda kiss on the corner of her mouth. His hand was on her thigh as he rubbed gentle circles with his thumb.
“Always, my love.” He rubbed his nose on her cheek making her blush profusely.
Taking a deep breath, Amara swallowed the bite and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt on her. “Please don’t lock me like a prisoner, I promise I will stay here, as long as you want, but don’t treat me like… like this.” Her voice was soft like thebreeze. She expectantly looked up again and gazed deep into his steel grey eyes.“I want to roam in gardens, cook with Martha, explore the mansion, do everything I couldn’t do with Rafael…. but I can’t if you keep me locked in these walls. I am a human, not an animal.”
Amara flinched when his thumb stopped rubbing circles. A panic-filled anticipation washed over her.
Kaelith' gaze lingered on her, lips set in a hard line. Amara's apprehension heightened, and she couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that she might have overstepped some invisible boundary. His expression was inscrutable, leaving her uncertain of his emotions. Despite lacking any visible signs of anger, a sense of unease crept over her.
A flicker of something indefinable passed through Kaelith' eyes, a fleeting shade of grey that entrapped her. His thumb began tracing soothing circles on her thigh.
“That’s it? That’s what you want?” he asked with an emotionless voice. Amara thought of taking her words back, but something in her stopped her.
Lowering her head, she nodded. “Yes.”
“What if I refuse?” Her head snapped at him, eyes wide and glossy.
“Then...then I’ll not talk to you.” She said clenching her hands. A look of vulnerability flashed before her eyes as her lips wobbled.“Please…”
Kaelith tilted his head to the side.“How can I trust you?”
Desperation flowed through her veins as she clutched onto his arm with both hands. “I promise I’ll do whatever you say if you let me out.”
A mischievous look flashed in his eyes. Lips curled in a faint cruel smirk, leaning forward, his hand on her thigh moved under the shirt. Her breath hitched.
“Whatever you said, you realize what you’re giving me, right?” he huskily whispered, Amara blinked her eyes.“Control over you.”
The abrupt sensation hit her like a sudden gust of wind, leaving her with a parched throat. She instinctively swallowed, feeling the cool relief of her saliva momentarily soothing the dryness. “Aren’t you controlling me already?”
Kaelith chuckled.
“Debatable.” His lips twitched in amusement.“Fine. Have your fun, but here are my conditions.” He tapped her inner thigh with his thumb.“You want to roam in gardens? You can only go there with me. Want to cook? You’ll cook only and only for me. I won’t restrict you from exploring the house, but at the end of the day, I want you here, in my room, on my bed…in my arms.” His touch was scorching, yet his words put her on fire more.“Understand?”
Amara felt the warmth of Kaelith's embrace; a sense of liberation and trepidation filled her. The conditions he laid out were a paradoxical mixture of freedom and captivity.
“I understand.” She agreed, though, for the chance to step beyond the confines of her enforced seclusion.
CHAPTER 48
“Yes, I understand.” She mumbled softly.
Kaelith hummed letting his gaze wander on her face and let go of her thigh, and resumed feeding her. Amara ate obediently. She hadn’t eaten anything since morning, and Kaelith had exhausted her– both physically and emotionally.
Her heart would skip a beat recalling the way she shattered in his arms, the way he collected her and then enthralled her whole.
It was both fascinating and dangerous. She was losing herself in him in an unexplainable way. Strangely, more than fear, she was feeling at ease the more he pushed her boundaries and forcefully let himself in.
Amara was aware of the way her heart would betray her in his presence. How her body would tingle for his feathery touches, and her eyes would be captivated by him. In his presence, she was a goner.
Stealing furtive glances at him her heart wrestled with a flurry of conflicting sensations. The air crackled with tension, mirroring the unease in Amara's chest. Kaelith exuded an aura that both intrigued and frightened her. A wave of fear surged through her. Her mind reminded her of the reality surrounding him—his mysterious eyes, the dark shadows that clung to him. Yet, despite the warning signals flashing in her thoughts, her heart seemed to defy reason.
She was scared, not just for herself but for the fragile strings of her heart seeming to be entwined with his- a man capable of both tenderness and turbulence.
Yet, amid the fear, there was an undeniable attraction, a magnetic force that drew her closer. Her heart, beating unsteadily, seemed to betray her rational mind. Amid the danger, there was a whisper of something intoxicating, a forbidden allure that she couldn't ignore.
Whenever he would glance at her, the intensity in his gaze sent shivers down her spine, a mixture of danger and a hint of something softer. Amara felt the pull of emotions like delicate feathers brushing against her heart—soft, ephemeral, and yet impossible to ignore.
